Blazy’s message was clear: Chanel is expanding into a universe of bold innovation and renewed ambition.
You can always count on Chanel for an out-of-this-world runway, but no one in the brand’s 115-year history can get the show to blast off quite like Matthieu Blazy. On the evening of Oct. 7, the ingenious designer created a whole new universe for the French fashion powerhouse.
That night, the planets aligned inside the recently renovated glass-and-steel building of the Grand Palais. Blazy transformed the historic monument into the “Universe of Chanel,” with massive planets hanging above the glossy black runway. It made for an otherwordly backdrop in the creative director’s inaugural show, which is nothing short of spectacular. His message was clear: Chanel is expanding to a new era of bold innovation and renewed ambition.
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“For this first Chanel show, I wanted to do something quite universal, like a dream, something outside of time, and I was fascinated by the stars, a theme so dear to the House,” Blazy wrote in an Instagram post. He also said in an interview with WWD that he wanted it to evoke a sense of freedom and the idea of borderless dressing. “We all look at the same sky. We all see the stars. There is something universal. It should also be beautiful and enjoyable, and this is what we have to propose also in fashion,” he told the outlet.
The night grew even brighter with stars flocking the front row. Margot Robbie, Penélope Cruz, Ayo Edebiri Pedro Pascal, Jennie of BLACKPINK, and brand ambassador Nicole Kidman were all there to witness the monumental start of Blazy’s reign in Chanel.
The designer’s masterpiece of a collection unfolded in three chapters: Un Paradox, Le Jeur, and L-Universel. The first, he said, is an exploration of founder Coco Chanel’s love affair with the English polo player Boy Capel. “It begins with menswear tradition,” he said in an interview with Wallpaper magazine. Men’s shirt and suits were reimagined with a contemporary, feminine twist, as how Blazy imagined the clothes would be passed between the two lovers.
His opening look was a checkered wool pantsuit, with a jacket that hits only at the waist. The designer tapped Charvet for the fabric and its shirtmaking technique, as a nod to founder Coco Chanel’s history with the brand. According to Blazy, Coco used to borrow shirts from her lover Boy Capel, which were made by the historic French shirtmaker.
“I was interested in the revolution she brought, and there was no way back,” Blazy told WWD. “She decided for herself what she could be, and she could be both faces of the same coin.”
The designer likewise collaborated with Charvet in two other ensembles: an oversized white tuxedo shirt that he paired with a black asymmetric ruffle skirt and the cropped striped men’s shirt worn over a red ballgown covered in feathery tendrils.
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“Le Jeur,” meanwhile, leaned into the house’s timelessness—garments that Blazy imagined being passed through generations. Tweed jackets and skirts had the illusion of coming apart at the seams, while the 2.55 handbag was designed to appear crushed and worn. “I didn’t know what to do with it. I started to play with it, change the chain, embroidery, change the leather. It didn’t work,” he recalled.
“And suddenly I thought, how can we take this bag, not just explode it, but almost make it like it’s been borrowed from your great-grandmother, and then passed through generations, and you went to a party in the Lower East Side or in Paris at Pigalle — something lived, something cherished.”
Of course, references to Chanel’s signature aesthetic were many. This includes the black-and-white color scheme, layered pearl necklaces, and boxy silhouette that Coco favored.
But the French-Belgian designer’s own aesthetic—one where extravagance defines luxury—still shone through, especially in “L-Universel.”
It served as a continuation—or rather an evolution—of his vivid and optimistic works in Bottega Venetta. “L’Universel” featured plenty of voluminous fringe skirts, soft draped dresses, and matching sets decorated with decorated with delicate floral. appliqués. He balanced Chanel’s sharp tailoring with a seductive approach seen in silky separates and slithering gowns. It was also present in skirts that had the texture of straw, tops that looked like shredded paper, and a black sack dress that glistened with gold dangling charms.
The house’s iconic bags, too, got the opulent-yet-whimsical Blazy treatment. He reinvented the iconic 2.55 with a crushed effect and an open flap, leaving it hanging open and introduced an XXL version of the Flap bag in a striking, red-striped fur and other textures. Other newcomers include a soft suede duffle bag that’s perfect for travel and a Y2K-coded shoulder bag emblazoned with the houses’s iconic double-C logo.
Watch the full Chanel Spring 2026 show below:
